NEW YORK (Gray Media) – Wednesday was the third day of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to the U.S. as he continued meeting with leaders to plot out the next steps in the ongoing war in Gaza.
Netanyahu sat down with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Wednesday beginning with a message of gratitude following the U.S. bombing campaign in Iran weeks ago that targeted the country’s key nuclear facilities. But the main focus of this trip has been plotting out what comes next in Gaza as the war continues.
The face to face at the Pentagon came after a second meeting between Netanyahu and President Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday night.
“President Trump and I have a common goal. We want to achieve the release of our hostages. We want to end Hamas rule in Gaza, we want to make sure Gaza does not present a threat to Israel anymore,” said Netanyahu.
After visiting House Speaker Mike Johnson Tuesday, the prime minister returned to Capitol Hill Wednesday to meet with Senate leaders. While there, Netanyahu discussed President Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
“We’re not pushing out anyone and I don’t think that is President Trump’s suggestion. His suggestion is giving them a choice,” said Netanyahu.
President Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff says an agreement is possible by the end of this week – one that leads to a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 live and nine deceased hostages to Israel.
“We had four issues and now we’re down to one…we think this will lead to a lasting peace,” said Witkoff.
The new round of indirect peace talks have been taking place in Qatar since Sunday. On Monday alone, nearly 30 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza while five Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas militants.
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